California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
Workforce and Economic Development Division
SOLICITATION OF INTEREST
Fiscal Year 2015-16 Funds
Connecting Community Colleges to the Maker Movement
to Build In-Demand STEM/STEAM Skills:
INNOVATIONMAKER Investment 3
(Please submit the attached Letter of Interest
by 5pm PST on Friday, March 18, 2016, to [email protected])
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCC) Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy
(DWM) framework recognizes the importance of STEM/STEAM to the creative economies of the state. In
partnership of the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST), the CCC Workforce & Economic
Development Division commissioned a white paper to inform how community colleges can better connect
into the Maker movement to complement the student learning environment in ways that foster the 4Cs –
critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communications – in demand by California’s regions. Community
colleges can use the establishment of a Makerspace as a means to position themselves as a key stakeholder in
their region’s innovation economy.
This solicitation of interest seeks to identify and network together 10+ colleges, including one lead for the
community-of-practice, committed to exploring, setting up, and/or building out their connections to the
Maker movement. All Letters of Interests received will be made public in order to facilitate the formation of a
community-of-practice. Applicants will be provided with the CCST white paper.
In addition to investment in a Makerspace, funding will ask grantees to plan for the creation of paid workbased learning (WBL)/internship opportunities tied to student participation in the Maker environment
through developing outside business/industry partners.
Up to $10M in funding for this program will come from the SB1070 CTE Pathways Program Grant. The program
span is 3-years and will require: 1) $1 match for every $3 provided; and 2) campus championship by a team
consisting minimally of STEM/STEAM faculty paired with CTE faculty in order to benefit from inter-disciplinary
collaboration.
What is the Maker movement?
‘Making’ offers complementary learning environments to the traditional classroom and helps participants
develop skills that differ from those developed in traditional student projects and learn-by-doing classes. The
spaces housing these activities are called makerspaces, also sometimes referred to as hackerspaces, hacker
labs or fab labs. Broadly, they are all interdisciplinary, participatory, peer-supported learning environments
where people can design and invent among a community of other makers. Yet, there is great variation in the
capabilities and foci of makerspaces, ranging from traditional crafts such as woodworking to the use of digital
technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters. Examples of higher education institutions with
Makerspaces include: Stanford University, MIT, University of Maryland, Sierra (Community) College, Portland
Community College, and Sonoma State University.
Solicitation of Interest
InnovationMaker Investment 3
Why Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEM/STEAM)?
 The concept helps to inform the capacity of community colleges to prepare students for further
STEM/STEAM education and for the STEM/STEAM workforce.

A strong emphasis is placed in hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities, such as learning about the
engineering design process, working directly with STEM/STEAM professionals through internships, and
participating in field experiences and STEM/STEAM-related competitions.

Creativity is an essential component of, and spurs innovation, and innovation is necessary to create
new industries in the future, and new industries with their jobs are the basis of our future economic
wellbeing.

Integration and alignment of K-12 and higher-education programs and initiatives with workforce needs
to provide greater alignment between systems.

The development of strong workforce partnerships along work-based learning pathways that promote business
and industry engagement in STEM/STEAM education activities at each Makerspace.
Overview of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) Whitepaper: Titled “Promoting
Engagement of the California Community Colleges with the Maker Movement”, a copy of the full text will be
attached to the RFA release for review and use. The table of content of this white paper follows:
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction
 What is Making?
 What is a Makerspace?
 Impact of the Maker Movement
 What Learning Outcomes are achieved in a Makerspace?
 Why Should the Community College Engage with the Maker Movement?
Chapter 2: Literature Review
 Evolution of the Makerspace
 Defining a Makerspace
 How They’re Run: Legal Status and Governance
 Studies About the Maker Movement
 Makerspaces in Institutions of Higher Education
 The Entrepreneurial/Educational Interface
 The White House Initiative
 Metrics for Success
Chapter 3: A Playbook for Growing a Maker Network Across the California Community College System
 Vision: Statewide Network of Makerspaces Linked to Community Colleges
– Key Network Characteristics
– Makerspaces as a Link Between Community Colleges and Their Regional Economies
– Network Structure
– Varying Models Can be Represented in the Network
– Timeline
– Learning Outcomes Achieved at Makerspaces
– Network Evaluation
– Practical Considerations for Makerspaces
– Makerspaces in Relation to Traditional Course Offerings
Solicitation of Interest
InnovationMaker Investment 3
The following survey is intended to solicit your interest and capacity. A multi-college Letter of Interest is
highly encouraged although single-college applicant is welcomed. Please submit a separate Section B for
EACH interested community college associated with the lead applicant. Only community college districts are
eligible. All letters received will be posted on the web page associated with this Solicitation. This Statement of
Interest is the first phase in the RFA process for this grant. Only colleges who submit a Statement of Interest
and are deemed qualified will be invited to participate in the grant RFA.
Please direct any question to: [email protected]
Thank you!
SECTION A
Lead Applicant
District/College:
Address:
Chief Executive Officer
Name
Primary Project Contact
Name
Phone
Title
Fax
Date
Email
SECTION B
Please respond to the following questions so we can better understand the demand level:
0 Name of College:
1 Describe where your college stands in the process (please check your stage of adoption)
Our college has interest in exploring or is in the process of exploring how better to
connect to the Maker movement.
Our college has already explored and has made a commitment to the Maker
movement through formal action (e.g., resource commitment, Trustee vote, etc.).
Our college has explored, committed to, and has already set up a Makerspace.
Our college has a team consisting of at least a STEAM/STEAM faculty paired with a
CTE faculty to champion this program on our campus.
Solicitation of Interest
InnovationMaker Investment 3
Other:
2 Expertise You Can Contribute to the Community-of-Practice (please check all that applies)
My college can help others explore, commit to, and set up a Makerspace.
My college can help others develop partnerships with industry/business/iHubs in
order to 1) generate work-based learning opportunities for students and/or 2)
secure financial support.
My college can help others form/develop partnership with grade 9-12 institutions to
facilitate early career exploration.
My college can help others consider instructional strategies, including but not
limited to 4C skills as well as technical skills, and how those strategies relate to
community college courses, certificates, and programs.
My college can help others bring together STEM/STEAM and CTE faculty to
champion the program.
Other:
3. Please add any comments relevant to this intent survey --